Archaeology Field School

The Field School Experience

Learning archaeological fieldwork is an immersive experience where teamwork is essential.
It takes weeks of work before a person can begin assembling the clues from each discovery
into meaningful pictures of the past. As a result, students should expect the work
to be exacting, often slow, and physically challenging, as one develops professional
skills over time. We work eight-hour days in all conditions, five days a week throughout
the six-week summer course.

The 2019 Archaeological Field School will run either Track A or Track B. Faculty are
currently determining where the research will occur. This site will be updated as
soon as possible with details about the fieldwork. No matter where the project happens,
students will learn to design approaches to data collection; execute their plans through
mapping, testing, and excavation; and complete initial data analysis and reporting;
all within professional and ethical best-practices.

What will I learn?

During the Summer Field School, students will learn a wide range of archaeological
field methods and gain proficiency using important equipment and tools. Examples of
what team members learn include the following:

using traditional mapping technologies, along with new technologies, such as Global
Position Systems (GPS) and digital Total Station (EDM) tools, in mapping landscape
details such as walls, structures, and roadways

working with Shovel Test Pit survey for data recovery, including appropriate sampling
methodology to ensure that artifacts are representative of the larger area

working with stakeholders of the site in the responsible conduct of public scholarship
and research with industrial heritage, including legal and ethical issues surrounding
industrial communities, sites, and landscapes.

Current Michigan Tech Students

Michigan Tech undergraduate students can take SS 3210 Field Archaeology to complete up to 6 credits for any element of their general education degree requirements.
The credits can count as either HASS (up to 6 credits) or STEM (up to 4 credits).
Social Science majors (including Anthropology, History, and Social Sciences) may apply
the credits to meet requirements of their degrees OR for general education. SS3210
may also be used towards completion of the Social Science minor in Historical Studies.
Prior to enrolling, please confirm with your departmental academic advisor that the
credits will count toward your desired degree requirements.

Register for the Field Archaeology course on Banweb. The undergraduate course number is SS3210, and the graduate course number is SS5700.

You can repeat credits for SS3210/SS5700, so you can take this course again for credit
if you have already completed a field school.

Domestic Undergraduate Students Enrolled in Outside Universities

Visit the registrar at your home university and request a guest student application
form. Using your own university's form streamlines the credit transfer process.

Note that you may enroll in whatever number of credit hours your institution requires.
For example, some universities require their students to complete 4 credit hours of
field school training. You should enroll for the number of credits appropriate to
your home department’s or university's requirements.

You may need to take the form to your university's registrar, and they will certify
your application and forward the form to Michigan Tech’s undergraduate admissions office; confirm this step with the registrar. You may be required to pay a $30 application
fee. Tech’s admissions office will submit the form to the registrar’s office. If you have questions about registering for this course, email Tech’s registrar’s office or call 906-487-2319.

International Students

International students could participate on a tourist visa, since the Field Archaeology
course only lasts for seven weeks.

Michigan Tech has a number of international cooperative and exchange agreements that
can facilitate guest students from around the world. We encourage prospective students
to email International Programs and Services for advice.

More Than Bones in a Drawer: Michigan Tech's Archaeology Lab

Michigan Tech's Industrial Heritage and Archaeology program boasts a newly renovated
lab that has space for students and faculty to conduct research on a number of projects,
including excavations at state parks and forests.